Saturday, June 15, 2013

I love butterflies. I enjoy photographing them. This one I saw on a bike ride last summer. They are such beautiful creatures. Their transformation from caterpillar to flying artwork is amazing. When the sun shines through their wings, they look like stained glass windows in the air. Their symbolism of new life always reminds me of hope and freedom.

Today there is a special celebration taking place in Southington, CT to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. There will be a special ceremony, butterfly bushes will be planted, a large mural will be unveiled, butterflies hatched from kits will be released and knitted & crocheted butterflies will be hung along a path in an outdoor yarn graffiti style.

When I heard about this from one of my crochet students (Celeste - thank you!), my daughters and I were glad to crochet a few butterflies to add to the festivities.

This is a pattern from "My Little City Girl" - it is a simple pattern with great results. We added a pom-pom head and pipe cleaner antenna.

This pattern is from a vintage booklet of butterfly crochet patterns. The instructions call for size 10 crochet thread to be used but that would be small for a yarn bomb so I used Red Heart With Love yarn. I liked the pineapple stitch shape of the wings.

And this butterfly my youngest created using a recycled plastic milk jug, yarn needle and several strands of acrylic yarn. Since she cannot crochet yet, she enjoyed being able to contribute to the project in her own way. I think it turned out great.

We will be thinking of Newtown - the families and the entire community - that were affected and pray that this day brings them many hugs, smiles and hope.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

For our Yarn Bomb during the Currier Museum of Art's Art Fest, we wanted to include many flowers in bright spring colors. I started making several flowers using regular weight yarn but it was taking a while and I was running out of time.

Then Red Heart sent a generous package of yarn, hooks and needles for our event.
Included were several skeins of their Vivid yarn.
It is a great supply for a yarn bomb project!

It is super bulky, very soft and comes in bright colors.

With a large hook and a few minutes, I worked up the flowers shown here.

﻿

The pattern for these flowers, Yarn Bomb Blossoms, is available now for FREE on Ravelry - Click on this link to download it: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/yarn-bomb-blossomsNow our yarn bomb pieces are hanging inside the museum in the Community Gallery. We were able to install the above piece (in the first photo of this post) around a column.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

I love Hawaii. Even though I have always lived on the East Coast, I have traveled to Hawaii several times. (A big THANK YOU to my parents for the many trips - they were all a blessing to be a part of.) And what's not to like?

Of course, the hibiscus is one of my favorite Hawaiian flowers and I enjoyed making it the highlight of this summer wrap for Crochet Today!'s July/August 2013 issue. Everywhere you look on the islands it seems to be making a bold statement of color and class.

It was a challenge to replicate its unique petal shape for the motifs. Then it was even more challenging to connect them and work the openwork stitches around them to make the wrap shape.

I used the Aunt Lydia's Bamboo Crochet Thread - it is very soft and has great drape.

As I worked on this design, I reminisced about our family vacations to Hawaii and my heart smiled, filled with all of the memories.

Here are some of the memories:

Watching several pods of Humpback Whales breech (jump out of the water) while out on a boat

Snorkeling for hours and seeing hundreds of beautiful fish

Rising early to see the sunrise over the volcano,

Haleakala, on the island of Maui

On the top of a volcano with my dad and husband

Listening to the "bark" of the geckos at night

Riding 6 foot waves after a hurricane

Having restful family time playing games or reading on the lenai (balcony)

Swimming in the Seven Pools after traveling

the Road to Hana through the jungle

My first trip to Hawaii when I was 11
Here I am with my brother, David

Taking in many sunsets over the ocean

A Maui sunset from our balcony

And spending precious time with family

My last trip to Hawaii when I was expecting my first child
Here I am with my sister, Alice

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Come learn (or review) the basics of crochet while making a Friendship Shawl. This shawl makes a great comfort gift for a friend or family member who is going through a rough time. We will be working on other smaller projects while practicing various techniques. Several free patterns to choose from to match your skill level. All levels of crochet welcome.

Email Jennifer to register.

Parent/Child Workshop

Crochet Workshop

A 1-Day Workshop

for Parent and Child

Saturdays

Next Workshop: TBA

9:30 to 11:30 am

Local Craft Store Classroom

Learn to crochet together while making a pretty necklace for yourself or a friend. Ages 7 and up.